Are Leaf Rakes Illegal???

Because they are noisy. I don't care how loud it is if it was just you that
was hearing it, but I don't like to hear a couple of mowers going at 5 or 6
PM on an otherwise quiet Sunday while I'm trying to relax and enjoy dinner
on the deck.
I don't complain during the week after work or Saturday. I use a power
mower also. But I refuse to make noise during the weekend dinner time.
Yesterday I was raking my leaves. The neighbor across the street was
blowing his and I had this constant whine in my ears from it and I was 400
feet away. I finished first though as raking was faster that the blower
would move them.(there are probably higher powered ones) I considered
getting one myself, but I can see they don't really save time. He was
complaining that using the blower was causing some pain in the wrist.

Most are too noisy, my Echo is too noisy. Consumer Reports may rate
them.
John Deere make a nice unit, fairly quiet, light, and well balanced.
The exaust is shot out the blower tube so it is low to the ground and
doesnt get into your lungs.

Best of both worlds- rake the leaves into a pile (quietly), then use a
leaf vacuum/shredder for two minutes to suck them into a bag. Another
advantage, 1/2 (or less) the number of bags. Save the shreds and use
them for mulch in the garden.
Alternatively, just mow the leaves and let them disintegrate in place.
Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

bags
use
take
Want
and
Just moved in. Not enough garden dug up yet for the volume of leaves I have.
I tilled a 40x40 vegetable garden two weeks back, and it's already got 8
trillion bushels of a mowed grass/leaf mix mixed in and piled on. Next
spring, I'm removing 1/4 of the total lawn area and creating enormous flower
& shrub beds. Then there'll be a home for the leaves.

their
have.
flower
Composting is kinduva art--probly best to mix the brown and green matter
together in a pile.......the green ( grass clippings ) providing the
nitrogen, and let it all break down good *before* you till it in.......

the
noise!
heads
Yeah, but I want to start small. I have a corner lot, so the place where I'd
like to put multiple compost bins is where it would be visible to two
neighbors. I'm waiting for delivery of a Soilmaker (your basic tall plastic
box - a model I've used in the past). I'll probably add 3 more in the
spring. In this neighborhood, an open pile or a chicken wire thing would
look out of place, even though they'd be beautiful to me.
Or.....plant a hedge to surround the compost factory. We'll see. I have more
ideas than I have time and cash at the moment.

40+
and
a
Another
use
place.
8
I'd
plastic
more
We corrall them in with old pallets--and its much easier to turn the pile
over if your corral is twice the size as your pile, turn from left to right.
Probly lots of ideas in one of the gardening forums, one might be just what
your doctor erdered.

I go with the mowing em. Honda self prop rear bagger. Remove bag it
is a very good mulcher. Two passes with leaves higher than the deck
leaves nothing but a powdering of very small bits behind. Good for
the lawn and a lot faster than the raking or blowing methods.
Harry K

got
Next
enormous
matter
in.......
where
would
have
pile
right.
what
The wife runs a small plant nursery here part time, and so several of our
neighbors and even the city public works dept are delighted to drop off
leaves and clippings for us.

I mowed our lawn (last time this year?) and simultaneously shredded the
leaves on Saturday while our neigbors were raking theirs, and after I'd
finished I found the gardening column in the local paper with a
recommendation to shred insted of rake or blow.

--
MB

Whether you vote Democrat or Republican on November 2, the country will
still be run from boardrooms in the USA and elsewhere, not by your

Curly Sue-I thought I was the only one who knew about the mower trick
;-) I have a mid size tractor with a mulching deck, (and a lot of leaves
from numerous mature pin oaks, maples, lindens, etc) 2-3 times over the
yard twice a season mulches them neatly into the grass with no more
effort than cutting the lawn, which I assume is using them as
fertilizer. I do it 1st when about half are down, then again when they
all are. Been doing it for years, every fall the neighbors still stare
like I'm nuts but no dead patches in the lawn or other adverse effects.
Only trick is they have to be pretty dry to chop up effectively. The
pin oaks in particular practically turn to powder.
Used to use a leaf blower to blow the gutters clean. Always wore
hearing protection. Damn things stink too, 2 cycle engines are pretty
dirty. Recently I got a Ridgid 5 hp shop vac with the larger diameter
hose, tried it on the gutters not really expecting it to work & was
stunned how effective it is. I'll NEVER use another method. Plus
unlike the blower which blasted the leaves everywhere, you just empty
the vac into a suitable container; nothing to rake up! A big-ass shop
vac is one of the best things to have around the house!
Dan
Curly Sue wrote:

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